Portable house and similar structure



PORTABLE HOUSE AND SIMILAR STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 9, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1A a a m M n m m M R WA m 7/; 1 H mm W 1 .r x

n m Q .r 3 Mam 2 EK v n n w a 6 Q. Ma 1 .b 3)... "M \2 m n w w w a Fm 1.m 5 m m 2 a 7 x n G 4 s n m a un fl PH W a a R I la 4 u Aiig. 18,1942.. M. c. SONINO P ORTABLE HOUSE AND SIMILAR STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed 001;. '9, 1940 FIG.9.

INVENTCR. MAX c. SON/N0 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 18, 1942 PORTABLE. HOUSEAND SIMILAR STRUCTURE Max C. Sonino, Hollis, N. Y.

Application October 9, 1940, Serial No. 360,372

17 Claims.

This invention relates to a portable house or similar structure that canbe readily assembled and disassembled.

The chief objects of the invention are to pro- Vide a portable house ofsturdy but inexpensive construction which can be put together and takenapart by unskilled labor without tools in a relatively short time; whichcan be used Without a floor or platform if desired, and without anybracing means such as the guy wires that must be used with a tent.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a portable house whichwhen disassembled can be stacked in a small space for ease intransportation, storage, and handling.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a portable house whichwill withstand adverse wind and rain conditions so that it can becomfortably occupied for long periods of time as a semi-permanentstructure.

The portable house of the present invention comprises, basically, cornerposts, side posts, and interchangeable side wall panels. The panels maybe solid or formed with door and window openings as desired. The panelsand posts are interconnected by easily operated fastening means, such aswing nuts and bolts. All the panels are exactly the same size andbolt-receiving apertures are formed in exactly corresponding positionson all the side posts and corner posts and along the sides of all thepanels. Consequently the panels are fully interchangeable:

each panel can be used in any position desired,

i. e., at the front, side, or back of the house, and the panels do nothave to be numbered or otherwise marked for identification duringassembly.

A roof of any desired construction may be used in connection with thehouse as long as it is readily detachable from the other parts of thehouse. It may be a sheet of canvas, or a roof structure of hinged panelsmay be used as hereinafter described.

The house of the invention may be set up directly on a level piece ofground if desired or it may be mounted on any suitable flooring such asthe usual type of wooden tent platform. In the latter case means such asangle irons may be provided for securing the house to the platform. Ifdesired ropes and stakes may be used to secure the house to the groundor platform where it is set up, but in View of the rigidity of the housethese ropes can be extended closely along the sides of the house andneed not be extended away from the house as in the case of tent guys.This is an important advantage as it conserves space and eliminates thedanger of tripping over the ropes and stakes.

To achieve ease in transportation and storage each of the side panelsmay be hinged at its center. If the panel includes a door extendingsubstantially over the entire height thereof, the door may also behinged as well as the remaining parts of the panel constituting the doorframe. The posts and any elongated roof members such as the ridge-polemay also be hinged if desired but this is not usually necessary as suchmembers are light in weight and consequently are easily carried andhandled.

While a feature of the invention is that a post of a very simple naturecan be used, special forms of posts as hereinafter described, affordingmore support to the panels, may be used where a more rigid structure isdesired.

Further objects and features of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a portable house embodying theprinciples of the invention.

v Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing a detail of aside wall panel.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of the portion of a side panel alongthe hinged joint thereof, looking from the inside.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 1 showing a detail of a gablemember.

Fig. 5 is a section through a side post along the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig. 5 a modified form of side post.

Fig. 7 is a perspective View corresponding to the upper part of Fig. lbut with the roof removed.

Fig. 8 is a section along the line 88 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a section along the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a section along the line iii-l0 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 11 is a section through a corner post along the line HII of Fig. 1.

Figs. 12 and 13 are sections similar to Fig. 11 but showing modifiedforms of corner post.

Referring to the drawings, the portable house of the invention, in theembodiment shown, comprises eight sidewall panels I5a-l5h (see Figs. 1and 7) hereinafter referred to collectively as the panels i5. Each ofthese panels is of the same size, for example 6' high by 4' wide by A"thick, so that a panel can be used at any desired position in the house.

but showing At the sides of each panel are bolt-receiving apertures l6(Fig. 3), one series of apertures along each side of the panel andspaced from the edge thereof, say by 1 inch. These apertures are formedin the same relative positions on all the panels, for the purpose ofmaking the panels interchangeable.

The panels I5 are mounted between corner posts I! and side posts [8,18a. each of said posts having portions overlapping the sides of twoadjacent panels and provided with corresponding bolt-receivingapertures.

Referring particularly to Fig, 11 which shows a preferred form of cornerpost, it will be seen that the post consists of two sheets of materialI9, 20 arranged at right angles and nailed or cemented together.Although a simple lap joint is shown, a mitre or other special form ofjoint may also be used. A strip of material 2| is arranged at the insidemeeting corner of sheets I9, 20 to act as an abutment for the panels l5.Preferably this strip is made of resilient material such as spongerubber so as to provide a tight seal between the panels and post.

An important reason for using the abutment strip 2| is in connectionwith the interchangeability of the panels. If the panels were allowed tolap one another in the manner of sheets I9, 20, the apertures it of onepanel would have to be a different distance from. the panel edge thanthe apertures of the other panel. By providing the abutment strip 2i,the apertures of all the panels, and the apertures on both sides of thesame panel, can be arranged at the same distance from the panel edge.

It will be seen from Fig. 11 that bolts 22 are passed through theregistering apertures of the panels and corner post and cooperating wingnuts 23 are screwed up on the b01135 to hold the parts firmly together.At the inside the bolts also extend through individual angle pieces 24preferably of metal (see also Fig. 7) The wing nuts are arranged on theoutside of the structure so as to be quickly and easily operable.

Some of the many possible modifications of the corner post are shown inFigs. 12 and 13. Fig.

12 shows a unitary corner post Ila which may be a molded plastic orextruded metal element. Fig. 13 shows a corner post lib with a jointedtongue and groove construction. In the case of both Figs, 12 and 13, thepost itself comprises a double wall structure extending the entireheight of the panel so that the individual angle pieces 24 of Fig. 11are not used. The continuous double wall structure of course addsgreater rigidity to the post and to the house as a whole.

Referring now to Fig. 5 which shows a preferred form of side post, itwill be seen that the post consists of two parallel sheets of material25, 26 secured together in spaced relationship by an intermediateabutment strip 21. The sheets 25, 26 and the strip 21 may be cemented ornailed together.

The abutment strip 27 is preferably made of resilient material such assponge rubber, the thickness of the abutment strip is such that thesheets 25, 26 will be spaced apart a distance slightly greater than thethickness of the panels l5for example a distance of where the panels arethick. In assembly, bolts 22 having associated wing nuts 23 are passedthrough the registering apertures of the sheets 25, 26, and intermediatepanel I5. Upon tightening the wing nuts 23 the rubber abutment strip isflattened from the dotted line position to the full line position shownin Fig. 5, thereby forming a tight seal between the post and panels.

Fig. 6 shows a modified form of side post consisting of only a singlesheet l8. With this post individual backing elements 28, preferably ofmetal, are used corresponding to the angle pieces 24 of Fig, 11.

It will be understood that either form of side post is provided alongits edges with a series of bolt-receiving apertures corresponding inlocation to the apertures of the panels. The distance from the aperturesof the side post to the edge of the abutment strip 21 (Fig. 5) or to thecenter line of the post it (Fig. 6) is the same as the distance from theapertures of corner post I! to the portions of the corner post acting asabutments for the panels. As a result of this, interchangeability of thepanels is assured.

Referring again to the sidewall panels l5, it will be seen that the sameare hinged along a central horizontal line so as to be foldableoutwardly of the house. Thus, panel |5a consists of the two halves 2%,35 connected by hinges 3|. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a strip ofmaterial 32 is secured along the upper edge of the lower half 35 of thepanel with part of the strip projecting above said edge to form a stopfor the hinging movement of the upper half 29 of the panel. Thisrelieves strain on the hinges 3|. The strip 32 also reinforces the panelhalf where the hinges 3| are connected thereto. Referring to Fig. 3 itwill be seen that, at the positions of the hinges, rectangles 33 cut outfrom the strip 32 are secured to the panel half 29 as reinforcement forthe hinges.

The upper panel half 29 (see Fig. 1) is shown as having a window opening34 formed by cutting out a. rectangular portion 35 of the panel. Theportion 35 is replaced in the opening to serve as a shutter, beinghinged at its upper edge to the panel by any suitable hinges or, asshown, by a continuous flexible strip 36 which may be of rubberizedfabric so as to be waterproof. A suitable latch 31 may be provided atthe lower edge of the shutter and the shutter may be retained open whendesired by a stick or prop.

The next sidewall panel I517 is shown as including a door 38 which ishinged at 39 so as to be foldable with the remainder of the panel andalso hinged at 40 so as to be capable of opening and closing movementafter the house has been set up. Suitable latches 4! are provided tolock the door in closed position.

It will be understood that, once the panel l5b is assembled with thecorner post and side post at its margins, there will be no tendency forthe door to collapse or fold at its hinges 39.

The panels E and 15d shown at the side of the house are substantiallythe same as the panel [5a described above. The shutter 35 of panel 15dis shown as partially opened to reveal a screen 42 extending over thewindow opening. The panels l5el5h may also be the same as panel l5a ormay be solid panels without windows or doors.

Attention is directed to the modified hinging shown in connection withpanels I50 and |5d and involving the use of a continuous strip offlexible material similar to the strips 35 used for hinging the shutters35. The hinges 3i are shown below strip 43 and are preferably mounted inthe panel so that they do not project substantially beyond the surfacethereof. Also the flexible strip may be cut out where it overlies thehinges to reduce the bulk thereof. The strip 43 could also be usedwithout any hinges 3l' or a continuous piano hinge could be used with orwithout strip 43. The joint between the two panel halves need not be asimple joint as shown in Fig. 2 but could be a rabbet joint. By the useof a rabbet joint and a continuous flexible waterproof strip, anextremely water-tight arrangement can be provided.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 7, the corner posts I! and two of the sideposts l8a are the same height as the sidewall panels. However, the othertwo side posts l8 extend upwardly beyond the panels, for example theseposts can be 6' 9" high when the other posts are 6 high. At their upperends the side posts 18 are formed with slots 44 to receive a ridge-pole45 which may be, for example, 8' 6 x 2 x A". This ridgepole is providedwith an upper surface 46 of resilient material such as sponge rubber.

Hinged to the ridge pole 45 are rafters 45a shown in Fig. 7. The outerends of these rafters are slotted and are received in complemental slotsin the side posts I 8a. The left-hand side of Fig. 7 shows the rafterand side post before engagement while the right-hand side of Fig. 7shows these parts engaged. Due to the hinged connection of the raftersto the ridge-pole, the rafters can be folded up against the ridge-polewhen the house is disassembled.

The roof 4! of the house is shown as formed of three pairs of hingedpanels 41a, 41b, 410. Each individual panel (6 in all) may be 3 x 4' 4"x The hinged ends of the roof panels rest on the rubber surface of theridgepole 45 while their free ends are supported on and extend beyondthe sidewall panels I50, ld and 15g, l5h. The front and rear roof panels41a, 41c rest on the sidewall panels, and the center roof panel 411)overlaps and rests on the front and rear roof panels as shown in Figs.1,

8, 9 and 10. A resilient rubber strip 48 may be used between the roofpanels. By the use of these separate, overlapping roof panels, goodprotection can be obtained even if some warping occurs.

Fastening means such as hooks and eyes 49 are arranged between the freeedges of the roof panels and the side panels so that the roof panels canbe pulled down onto the top of the side panels. This action also resultsin a tight joint between the hinged ends of the roof panels and therubber surface 46 of the ridge-pole 45.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 8 a flexible strip 58 may be arranged across thejoint at the hinged edges of the roof panels and between said panels andthe hinges 5|. The strip 50 may be of rubberized fabric or a toughflexible building paper such as sold under the name Sisalkraft, andwhich can be repeatedly bent without breaking, can be used.

In the triangular spaces between the tops of panels [5a, Nb and theroof, gable members 52 are provided. These are shown as screened butsolid gables could be used if desired. As shown in Fig. 4, downwardlyprojecting strips 53 are secured to the bottom of the gable member sothat said member can be slid over the top of the repective panel. Foradditional protection a cover 54 of canvas or other impervious materialmay be secured over the gable member by hooks 55. It is preferable touse a cover of transparent material such as Pliofilm so that light isnot shut off. Transparent material such as a transparent plastic couldalso be used for the gable member itself in the case of a solid gable.It will be understood that gable members are also mounted on the rearsidewall panels l5e and I5) not shown in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing description the manner of assembling the portablehouse of the invention should be apparent. Preferably two of thesidewall panels are assembled with an intermediate corner post whilefiat on the ground. Then the subassembly so formed can be stood up andthe other sidewall panels and posts added thereto. When all the parts ofthe sidewalls are in position except the last panel, the parts havesufficient flexibility so that they can be spread apart to permitinsertion of the last panel between the respective corner and sideposts, even if doublewall posts are used.

It will be understood that, as all the sidewall panels are identical intheir size and shape and in the position of the bolt-receiving aperturestherein, and as all the posts have bolt-receiving apertures in the samepositions, any sidewall panel may be placed at any part of the housedesired. The panels do not have to be numbered or otherwise identifiedfor guidance in assembly. The position of the various side panels may bechanged upon successive uses of the house.

After assembly of the sidewall panels and posts, the ridgepole 45 isnext placed in position in the slots of the side posts l8 and therafters are moved on their hinges to a position above the slots of theside posts |8a and pushed down into said slots.

The front and rear roof panels 41a, 410 are next placed over one side ofthe roof in folded position, extending from the ridgepole to one sidewall. By pushing up with a stick on the free edge of the upper roofpanel of each pair where it overhangs the side wall, the folded panelcan then be opened like a book, said upper roof panel being allowed toswing over and fall upon the sidewall panel at the other side of theroof. If two people are erecting the house, While one stays outside thehouse and pushes the roof panel over as indicated above, the other canstation himself inside the house to check the fall of said panel with astick and lower same into position on the sidewall panel. The centerroof panel is then applied in a similar manner.

The gable members 52 are slid into position, lifting the respective roofpanels for this purpose as may be necessary. Finally the hooks and eyes49 are connected to secure the roof panels, and consequently also thegable members, in position.

In the drawings, no flooring has been shown in connection with thehouse, as it has been found that the house may be erected on the groundwithout any flooring and is entirely self-supporting and extremelyresistant to adverse wind and weather conditions. A canvas sheet may beused as a floor if desired to keep moisture out. Also, if desired, thehouse may be mounted on a floor such as a wooden tent floor or platformand, in such a case, the side-wall panels or posts may be connected tothe floor by angle brackets, guy wires or other means.

If guy wires are used either for fixing the house to a platform or tothe ground, these wires may extend from an upper corner of the house atone side to a stake adjacent the diagonally opposite lower corner of thehouse at the same side. In other words, the guys do not have to extendoutwardly from the house as in the case of tent guys. This means thatmore houses may be accommodated in a given space and there is no dangerof tripping over the guy wires.

Although a roof structure consisting of panels has been shown a sheet ofcanvas supported by the ridge-pole rafters, and sidewall panels could beused instead.

The side wall panels of the house of the invention may be made of woodor composition board such as Masonite, Cellotex, or Weatherwood. It hasbeen found that good results can be obtained by using the products soldunder the names of Weatherwood Denseboard and Weatherwood Structoboard,the latter grade being stronger and more weather-resistant. The postsand roof panels may be made of the product sold under the name ofWeatherwood Hardboard which is a still harder composition material, ormetal or plastics could be used. Another form of sidewall panel thatcould be used comprises a frame of wood or metal with canvas orscreening stretched thereover.

The house of the present invention has a large field of use, bothindoors and outdoors. Indoors it can be used as a playhuse, darkroom forphotographic purposes, for subdividing a large room into individualcubicles or dressing rooms, or for other sub-division purposes. In thelatter case, no roof may be required or desired. Outdoors, the house ofthe invention may be used as a temporary or semi-permanent cabin, forhousing troops, for housing refugees and for isolation cabins inemergencies, for camping trips, as a guest house or beach cabana.

The house may be made of any size desired by adding side posts andsidewall panels. The house shown, when disassembled and the sidewallpanels and roof panels folded over as permitted by the hinging thereofwill occupy a space of only about 4 X 3 X 6 except for the posts,ridge-pole, and rafters. If desired the latter could also be hinged butthis is generally unnecessary as they are light in weight. The house ofthe invention may therefore be transported readily by automobile forcamping or week-end trips and can be set up by one man without tools ina short time-considerably less than one hour. With two experiencedpersons it is possible to assemble or disassemble the house in aboutminutes.

While specific dimensions are referred to in the above description itwill be understood that these have been given by way of example only asthe individual parts of the house and the house as a whole may be madeof any size desired. Also the sidewall panels need not be hinged or maybe hinged along a difierent line from that shown, depending on the sizeof the panels and the requirements as to transportation and storage. Theinvention is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications inaddition to those suggested above and it is intended for the appendedclaims to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within thespirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A portable house comprising a plurality of posts each having acentral longitudinally extending abutment and a longitudinal row ofspaced apertures at each side of said abutment, a plurality ofinterchangeable side wall panels each having rows of similarly spacedapertures parallel to and spaced from the side edges of the panel, theapertures at one side of a panel, when said panel is arranged inoverlapping relation with a post and with the edge of the panel incontact with the abutment of the post, registering with the apertures atthe respective side of the post, quick detachable means extendingthrough said apertures for interconnecting said posts and panels, and aroof. detachably supported on the side walls of the structure, the postsbeing interconnected solely by the panels and roof structure.

2. A portable house comprising a plurality of posts each having acentral longitudinally extending abutment and a longitudinal row ofspaced apertures at each side of said abutment, a plurality ofinterchangeable side wall panels each having rows of similarly spacedapertures parallel to and spaced from the side edges of the panel, theapertures at one side of a panel, when said panel is arranged inoverlapping relation with a post and with the edge of the panel incontact with the abutment of the post, registering with the apertures atthe respective side of the post, quick detachable means extendingthrough said apertures for interconnecting said posts and panels, aridge-pole detachably supported directly by certain of the posts,rafters extending between said ridge-pole and the side walls of thestructure and detachably connected to said side walls, and a roofdetachably supported on said ridge-pole and rafters, and on the sidewalls of the structure, the posts being interconnected solely by thepanels and roof structure.

3. A portable house comprising four identical corner posts havinglongitudinal side portions arranged at right angles to one another and alongitudinal abutment at the inside meeting angle of said side portions,two pairs of side posts, the members of each pair being identical andthe members of one pair being longer than the members of the other pair,eight interchangeable side wall panels any one of which may be securedbetween any corner post and any side post, each panel having alongitudinal row of spaced apertures parallel to and spaced from eachside edge of the panel, and each post having two longitudinal rows ofsimilarly spaced apertures, the distance of any row of post aperturesfrom the nearest edge of the abutment of the respective post being thesame as the distance of any row of panel apertures from the nearest sideedge of the respective panel whereby, when a panel is arranged inoverlapping relation with a post and with the edge of the panel incontact with the abutment of the post, the panel apertures will registerwith the post apertures, quick detachable means extending through theapertures for interconnecting the posts and panels, a ridge-poledetachably supported directly by the longer pair of side posts, raftersextending from said ridge-pole to and detachably supported by theshorter pair of side posts, and a roof comprising a plurality ofinterchangeable hinged sections detachably supported on said ridge-poleand rafters, and on the side walls of the structure.

4. A portable house comprising four identical corner posts havinglongitudinal side portions arranged at right angles to one another and alongitudinal abutment at the inside meeting angle of said side portions,two pairs of side posts having slots at one end thereof, the members ofeach pair being identical and the members of one pair being longer thanthe members of the other pair, eight interchangeable side wall panelsany one of which may be secured between any corner post and any sidepost, each panel having a longitudinal row of spaced apertures parallelto and spaced from each side edge of the panel, and each post having twolongitudinal rows of similarly spaced apertures, the distance of any rowof post apertures from the nearest edge of the abutment of therespective post being the same as the distance of any row of panelapertures from the nearest side edge of the respective panel whereby,when a panel is arranged in overlapping relation with a post and withthe edge of the panel in contact with the abutment of the post, thepanel apertures will register with the post apertures, quick detachablemeans extending through the apertures for interconnecting the posts andpanels, a ridge-pole detachably supported directly by the longer pair ofside posts and fitting into the slots thereof, rafters extending fromsaid ridge-pole to and detachably supported by the shorter pair of sideposts and fitting into the slots thereof, and a roof comprising aplurality of interchangeable hinged sections detachably supported onsaid ridgepole and rafters, and on the side walls of the structure.

5. A portable house according to claim 4, in which each side postcomprises two parallel flanges spaced apart by the abutment of the posta distance slightly greater than the thickness of the side wall panels,the apertures of the post being formed in said flanges.

6. A portable house according to claim 4, in which the abutments of theposts are at least as thick as the side wall panels.

7. A portable house according to claim 4, in which at least some of theabutments of the posts are made of resilient material.

8. A portable house according to claim 4, comprising resilient materialat the top of the ridgepole to receive the hinge portions of the roofsections.

9'. A portable house acording to claim 4, in which the free ends of theroof sections have fastening means cooperating with complementalfastening means on the side walls of the house.

10. A portable house according to claim 4, in which a strip of foldablewaterproof material extends across and covers the hinged joint of eachroof section.

11. A portable house according to claim 4, comprising gable members ofgenerally triangular shape detachably secured between the upper portionsof the longer side posts and the tops of the adjacent side wall panels.

12. A portable house according to claim 4, comprising gable members ofgenerally triangular shape detachably secured between the upper portionsof the longer side posts and the tops of the adjacent side wall panels,each gable member having elements extending downwardly therefrom fordetachably engaging the top of the panel on which said member ismounted.

13. A portable house according to claim 4, comprising gable members ofgenerally triangular shape detachably secured between the upper portionsof the longer side posts and the tops of the adjacent side wall panels,at least some of said gable members having openings therein, andprotecting members adapted to be hooked over the gable members to closesaid openings.

14. A portable house according to claim 4, in which at least some of theside wall panels are hinged along a horizontal line to reduce overallsize for transportation and storage, the panel apertures for receivingthe quick detachable interconnecting means extending longitudinally onboth sides of said hinging line whereby, after the interconnecting meansare secured in said apertures and in the corresponding apertures of theposts, said panels will be held firm in open position notwithstandingthe hinged nature thereof.

15. A portable house according to claim 4, in which at least one of theside Wall panels comprises a door frame and hinged door, and is hingedalong a horizontal line passing through said door frame and door toreduce overall size for transportation and storage, said door havinghinges disposed on both sides of the line of hinging of the panel, andthe apertures of the panel for receiving the quick detachableinterconnecting means extending longitudinally on both sides of saidhinging line whereby, after said interconnecting means are secured insaid apertures and in the corresponding apertures of the posts, thepanel will be held firm in open position notwithstanding the hingednature thereof, and the hinged door will be able to swing on its hinges.

16. A portable house according to claim 4, in which at least some of theside wall panels are hinged along a horizontal line by a strip offoldable waterproof material.

17. A portable house according to claim 4, in which the quick detachableinterconnecting means comprise bolts and wing nuts.

MAX C. SONINO.

